


Balance of Power

by Tammaiya



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-05-03
Updated: 2004-05-03
Packaged: 2018-08-09 09:12:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7795912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tammaiya/pseuds/Tammaiya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which James is a git, Remus thinks Sirius needs a psychiatrist and Sirius isn't <i>always</i> slow on the uptake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Balance of Power

Sirius suspects that Remus has no idea how much power he has over him. In fact, a lot of people make that mistake; a lot of people think that Sirius controls their friendship. Well, why not? He's the loud one, the popular one, the _outgoing_ one, and usually he can wheedle Remus into doing anything for him. Well, almost anything, depending on how far outside of the rules it falls.  
  
What they fail to see, though, is that little hesitation where Sirius looks to Remus for approval.  
  
It hasn't always been that way, obviously. Remus had never approved of the more outrageous pranks Sirius and James had pulled back in fifth year, but that had never stopped them. He hadn't approved of the way they picked fights with Snivellus, eith--  
  
Okay, _fine_. Bullied. Snape. Sheesh.  
  
He couldn't even escape from the Remus in his head, these days, and if he didn't care so much about the real Remus he would be entertaining serious thoughts about murder, just so he could catch a break. Although that would presumably cause mental-Remus to scold him-- yes. Right. Abso-bloody-lutely correct.  
  
Was he going insane? It seemed quite possible; he'd have to examine that thought in greater detail later. He'd ask Moony, but… er, well. There were some rather obvious reasons why he couldn't, really. And he'd ask James, but Prongs is such a prat that he'd just say yes and crack jokes, maybe for the rest of forever if he remembered.  
  
Sometimes Sirius wonders how he ended up like this, with a best friend who is a complete and utter git and another friend who makes him feel guilty when he isn't even there for being bad, and _that's_ just unfair because Sirius was _born_ to be bad. What can he say? He's got a problem with authority.  
  
He wouldn't trade it for anything, though, because James may be a git but he's _their_ git, the git they couldn't live without and the git who may be a pain in the arse but who's always there when Sirius needs him to be. And Remus… Remus is _Remus_. The idea of life without James or Remus is quite frankly ridiculous.  
  
James is Sirius's partner-in-crime, but Remus is his anchor. Sirius knows all too well that his grandiose plans would spin out of control if they didn't have some measure of common sense injected into them by the more grounded werewolf. On the other hand, though, Sirius likes to think that having his flamboyant nature around to lighten things up reminds Remus to take his feet off the ground and learn to fly once in a while.  
  
James doesn't understand the balance of power, either. He thinks it's a matter of push-and-pull between himself and Sirius for leadership, and that where they lead Remus and Peter will follow. He is right, in a sense, but he clearly doesn't understand the bearing Remus holds over Sirius's actions. Sirius has contemplated trying to explain it, but he doubts James would understand. More to the point, he is all too aware that James would laugh at him, which-- alright, he'd laugh too if it was James saying something like that, but still. In fact… he _had_ laughed when James had said something similar about Lily Evans. Huh.  
  
There is something in that last thought that should really start alarm bells ringing, but while Sirius may be brilliant in some things, he's not terribly quick on the uptake in others. He lets it pass.  
  
The reason no one has noticed this balance of power, Sirius suspects, is that even Remus is unaware of it. He could make Sirius do almost anything these days, but he doesn't _know_ that, and he's never tried and so the whole dynamic remains subtle, subtle enough that Sirius is the only one to see it.  
  
Sirius is confused about why Remus has this kind of influence over him. He would maybe try to put it down to some kind of spell, but he knows very well that that isn't what it is. It would have to be Dark Arts, and what would be the point if you were just going to do something this harmless? He didn't know if there even _was_ a spell that would do that, so there went that theory right out the window before it had actually seriously existed. He briefly considered that maybe it was a werewolf thing, but that wasn't right either, because wouldn't Remus have that kind of control over everyone in that case? He certainly didn't over James-- Sirius would have noticed.  
  
Then again, perhaps it was the whole wolf-dog thing. Er. All the same, Sirius was pretty sure that that was a load of total crap. The wolf always affected Remus, he knows, but being a dog only affects him when he is a dog. And not that much, come to that.  
  
He doesn't have to look too far to figure out the real reason, not really. It's the way Remus smiles at him when he's done something thoughtful or considerate, the way he can see the disappointment in Remus's eyes when he's done something awful. Remus doesn't expect him to notice these things, or put that much thought to them; James certainly doesn't, and it's not as if Remus only smiles at Sirius or whatever. (Sirius likes to believe that he smiles a little _more_ at him than at James, though. He hasn't decided if this is deluding himself yet.)  
  
It's just that Sirius cares about Remus's opinion, probably more than he should. But that's okay, he thinks, or at least he hopes it is. He's almost sure that Remus pays more attention to Sirius than to anyone else, anyway.  
  
The Remus in his head decides to make another appearance at that statement, raising a metaphorical eyebrow and saying-- well, mentally saying, whatever-- in a dry voice that Sirius was certainly very sure of himself (arrogant, his brain supplies helpfully), yes, arrogant, thank you, and did he actually have any proof to back this claim?  
  
Sirius, not being one to back down on a dare or a challenge, sticks his tongue out figuratively and thinks something along the lines of, 'oh yeah? I'll show _you!_ '  
  
Imaginary Remus had time to look rather afraid and say 'oh, god--' before Sirius turned to real Remus, who was speaking to him, ("and-- Sirius, are you listening? Only, you've had a very spaced out look for the last-- Sirius?") and kissed him mid-speech.  
  
"Mmmph!"  
  
Ahah, Sirius thinks triumphantly, and slides his tongue in Remus's open mouth, whereupon it promptly gets bitten.  
  
Sirius yelps and scoots back to sulk, glaring slightly at his dazed friend.  
  
"What?" Remus says faintly.  
  
"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Sirius replies petulantly.  
  
Remus blinks. "Sirius, you think _everything_ is a good idea at the time. Didn't you ever think to maybe ask me if it was a good idea?" Like you do with your other pranks? Sirius can almost hear the unspoken words.  
  
"I did!" Sirius whines.  
  
"Okay, that's-- what?"  
  
"Well, okay, I didn't ask," Sirius continues. "But the you in my head commented anyway."  
  
"That's incredibly weird, Padfoot," Remus says firmly. "Have you ever considered psychiatric help?"   
  
Sirius shrugs, thinking that it would probably be advisable, but who needs mental health anyway? After a short hesitation, Remus finds himself horribly curious.  
  
"… What did I say, anyway?"  
  
"Um. That it was 'a really bad idea-- SIRIUS YOU IDIOT!'"  
  
"Oh." Remus contemplates this. "That's disturbingly accurate."  
  
Sirius looks like a kicked puppy, and Remus rolls his eyes. "Git, not like that. I just meant it's a really bad idea to go around kissing your friends-- male friends, might I add-- without asking them or even giving them any warning."  
  
Sirius pouts. "Sorry."  
  
"Which is not to say…" Remus pauses, at a loss for word. "Um."  
  
"Huh? Not to say what?"  
  
"I'm as much a fool as you are," Remus mutters under his breath, and reaches over to kiss Sirius. It's as much reassurance as it is reciprocation, because Sirius is too insecure to trust on words alone.  
  
Sirius always _has_ been better with actions than words.


End file.
